


The Life of Riley

by Diminua



Series: Different Worlds, Same Planet. [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-02-11 09:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2062617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diminua/pseuds/Diminua
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cambridge</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Mycroft arrives at Cambridge station with both parents and a heap of luggage that didn’t look nearly as absurdly mountainous when he helped pack it. The rest of the place seems to be bustling but the three of them pass through in a kind of maddening, stately, middle aged shuffle; from platform to gradually filtering taxi rank to the car crawl into town behind a fume belching bus, with Mycroft watching and envying his more active and independent contemporaries through the window, backpacks slung heavy and lopsided over shoulders, suitcases rattling and bumping, but all moving steadily, and all more quickly than him, to the same goal. 

Each queue, whether for crocks, books, id cards, lecture choices, room key, bank account or student union registration rubs a little more gilt off the beauty of the place until Mycroft can’t breathe under the suffocating languor of it. He doesn’t understand – given that he has just spent 4 years boarding full time - why his parents are still here, stopping him from doing the things he actually wants to do like finding the library and exploring the backs and the river and locating Clare College where he knows Jeremy and another former schoolmate called Bottle (the boys surname is actually Spinks but they’ve always called him Bottle) will be. 

In direct contradiction to that feeling is that every time he peers around, trying to spot someone he knows while pretending he’s not doing anything of the kind, he realises he can’t. 

Mycroft puts his head down again and pushes on, hoping no-one’s noticed, but clearly he’s not as surreptitious as he thinks because his father hails an old friend in the street (and is greeted with equally enthusiastic and equally insincere cries) for the not entirely veiled purpose of introducing their two boys. To be fair, there is a moment of camaraderie in mortification before the other extricates himself to rush up to a girl he knows, vanishing behind a group of tourists with a shake of Mycroft’s hand and a wave to his startled father. 

Mycroft is both jealous of and disproportionately paranoid about the reasons for this escape. 

Eventually he’s left alone in his room with the neatly made bed and the bare lightbulb that he can't be bothered to climb up to fit the shade to. It’s dark outside, slightly chill, and he’s inexpressibly fed up. This doesn’t feel like something worth working towards his entire academic career. He expected – well in fact he’s not sure what he expected, but it wasn’t this bone deep sense of anti-climax. 

He considers having an early night and starting afresh in the morning, but drags himself downstairs instead, determined to locate a payphone and try Greg first, even though he knows it carries the certainty of more disappointment, that he’ll be at work and the only option is to leave a message with Mr Harris. After which he rings home and asks for Sherlock. Who thankfully doesn’t seem curious or even surprised Mycroft called but launches instead into a long rambling spiel about raspberry jam and pips and being forced to eat toast crusts on the basis that it will make his hair curly, which is ridiculous because his hair is already as curly as it can possibly need to be. 

He also demands a postcard of the mathematical bridge, and then there is just enough time for Mycroft to tell him that the money is about to run out and say their respective goodbyes over the pips before they’re cut off. 

His ruthless egotism leaves Mycroft feeling surprisingly cheerful again, and he heads out past the porters to see if there is somewhere, even at this time of the day, where he can get the expected postcard. 

A late night newsagent provides what he wants, and he selects a detail of the Kings Chapel interior for Greg as well, heads into a cafe for a cup of tea and to write them both, still disinclined to return to his room with its empty white painted desk and unopened cardboard boxes. 

_I haven’t seen this_ he writes. _I haven’t seen anything. I’ve been filling in stupid forms all day._

Reading it back he can’t help noticing how petulant he sounds. How like Sherlock, in fact. He signs and sends it anyway, and calls it a night.

The next day is better. He is confirmed in his suspicions that the high street is largely the haunt of tourists, students only dashing across in movement from college to college, and that the real activity is round the backs near the river. 

Now he’s not looking for people he knows he’s seen a few, one or two at breakfast, and then Jeremy later in the day, lazing back in a punt with a blanket huddled round his shoulders while someone else does the donkey work. It amuses Mycroft to drop a pamphlet about factory farming over the parapet and into his lap to get his attention as he slides beneath Garret Hostel Bridge, making him sit upright abruptly with a startled curse, then slump back again with a pout, eyes finding Mycroft’s, unerring and unamused.

But the punt moves on beneath the bridge, the punter unaware anything has happened and Mycroft, having followed his irrational impulse to make contact, finds himself subject to a fresh irrational impulse to withdraw and resume his walk to the library before he can be called back. 

It bothers him that he’s not sure why he did any of that.


	2. Chapter 2

Sally parks up around the corner from the pizza parlour and switches the interior light on. Not even four thirty but it's already dark and drizzling again, wind whipping a carrier bag across the street and up the side of a tower – Padbury, unless her sense of direction is playing her up. Still the car's warm.

She reaches round to the back seat and the telephone pad she pilfered from the legal team, leaning it on the steering wheel; extracts a ballpoint from her jacket pocket to scribble down some notes while her memory's fresh.

_4th October – Greg Lestrade_

_Health – seems well. Food in cupboards and milk in fridge. Aware of issues around AIDS and where to access barrier contraception._

_Still smoking._

_No drug paraphernalia or other evidence of use._  
  
Which, since his file apparently hadn’t been looked at since she went on maternity, is just as well.

_Mood/emotional health – within normal range. Irritable due to transport issues at first (motorbike broken down near Gerrards Cross) and surprised to see me but quite open. Engaging well as conversation progressed. Offered me tea and accepted lift to work._

_Self care – Has produced extra bedding and a heater for his own room.  
Clean but scruffy and room in similar state. Consistent with age._

_Personal relationships – disclosed returning from visiting boyfriend at Uni when bike broke down. Boyfriend in first year (suggests similar in age). Did not disclose where met or any other further details beyond first name – Mike or Mycroft and BSc course – Politics or Law.  
Gets on reasonably well with other tenants. _

Or at least, he had offered them a cup of tea since he was making it anyway, and they had said yes.

_Education/Employment – Working at Pizza King. Paid employment 20 hrs a week but substantial overtime. In G’s words ‘the money is crap but the tips are good’_

She makes a mental note to find some other way of phrasing that before it goes in the file.

_Not in education. Cautiously receptive to referral to YOP scheme in engineering beginning in January as that still seems to be an interest.  
Budgeting but not saving._

Like 80% of the population, but it still has to go in.

_Accommodation – Semi-independent/independent with approved private landlord. Could do with being warmer but very affordable for G. Could certainly do with new kitchen door._

_ Recommendations. _

She underlines the word twice. It's probably the only bit her team leader will read, anyway.

_Approval for cost of repairing bike including bringing back from breakdown area._

Given they’d neglected him for the last 8 months it's the least they can do.

_Landlord to be contacted and asked to fit new back door to property._

According to Greg someone from the council had come round and fixed it to stop it sticking, which suggests the landlord shirking his responsibilities. She’ll have to ask housing to look into that, for what good it'll do. They shouldn’t be putting families there with the place as is.

_Second invitation to be sent for fireworks party to say goodbye and see if G needs help with training scheme application._

That's a reminder to self really, since she will be the one drafting the letter and the offer of help.

Finally, and inevitably given Greg’s age.

_Case to close._


End file.
